On Tuesday afternoon, threecollege softball players from Dickinson State University were found after theyapparently drove their SUV straight into a pond on a Dickinson,N.D.,
By CarlyPorterAccuWeather.com
On Tuesday afternoon, three collegesoftball players from Dickinson State University were found after theyapparently drove their SUV straight into a pond on a Dickinson, N.D.,farm.
The moon Sunday night was 99% full and had risen late in the afternoon. At thetime of the accident, the moon would have been high in the sky. Scatteredclouds were reported at the Dickinson Regional Airport, south of Dickinson.Given the position of the moon, the scattered nature of the clouds and therural location, the area where the accident occurred would have been well lit,not pitch black.
Another weather factor that night was the temperature. The temperature fellrapidly that evening from 48 degrees just prior to sunset to near 26 degrees atthe time of the accident, again, according to the official observations at theairport. There was a little rain Saturday, but probably not enough to cause anystanding water on rural roadways. Ice on roads was unlikely. However, frostcould have started to form on grassy areas which would lead to a slipperycondition.
The temperature of the pond was likely in the 40s said AccuWeather.com ExpertSenior Meteorologist Henry Margusity. The pond temperature could haveinfluenced hypothermia symptoms.
Hypothermia, when the body loses heat faster than it can produce it, sets inwhen a person is exposed to cold weather or is immersed in cold water for evena quick period of time. When body temperature drops, many organs begin to fail,and if left untreated, the heart can become completely unresponsive.
According to the Mayo Clinic, water temperatures as high as 65 degrees can leadto hypothermia.
Mythbusters, the popular Discovery Channel television show, reports that it isalmost impossible for a man to open the doors of a vehicle becoming submergeddue to the pressure differential between outside and inside the car.
After the interior of the vehicle is completely flooded, the pressure isequalized and the doors can be opened if the person does not panic and is ableto get enough air prior to being submerged. Readthe Next StorySevere WeatherCenter
